2026 | Student

MUSE Design Awards Silver Winner

ACTUS Autonomous Tunnel Fire Response System

Entrant

Dongguan University of Technology

Category

Product Design - Humanitarian / Emergency Design

Client's Name

Highway Tunnel Operation & Emergency Rescue Administration

Country / Region

China

About The Entry

ACTUS is a rail-mounted unmanned fire emergency response system tailored for vehicle fire accidents in highway tunnels. Conventional tunnel fire incidents face severe safety risks: smoke blocks visibility, rescue vehicles get trapped in traffic, evacuation guidance is delayed, and early-stage flames cannot be suppressed promptly.

This device travels along overhead tunnel rails at a maximum speed of 100 km/h, forming a full closed-loop emergency workflow: fire detection, rapid on-site arrival, evacuation guidance and precise fire suppression. Equipped with a 540° panoramic infrared sensor module, it can penetrate thick smoke to locate fire sources and trapped passengers. Linked with the tunnel public broadcast system, it delivers directional escape light cues and voice prompts to evacuate crowds orderly. The built-in 128L high-pressure foam tank supports up to 20 minutes of continuous targeted fire extinguishing, with both automatic and manual aiming modes available.

Featuring a compact, modular body with auto-charging and multi-unit connection interfaces, ACTUS performs 24/7 autonomous patrols. It contains fire spread before firefighters arrive, cutting casualties and property losses, and fills the gap of pre-emergency rescue inside highway tunnels.

Credits

International School of Design, Dongguan University of Technology
Kang Xiaoguan
International School of Design, Dongguan University of Technology
Pu Miaomiao
International School of Design, Dongguan University of Technology
Luo Jiangyue
International School of Design, Dongguan University of Technology
Pan Siying
International School of Design, Dongguan University of Technology
Ye Haocong
International School of Design, Dongguan University of Technology
Zhang Daier
International School of Design, Dongguan University of Technology
Zhou Luoqin
International School of Design, Dongguan University of Technology
Xu Weibin
International School of Design, Dongguan University of Technology
He Jiwei
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